Bonding tool



P. P. PIPES BONDING TOOL Jul 17, 1934.

Original Filed April 2, 1929 Inventor Attorney PZZNY 2? P1 By I PatentedJuly 17, 1934 mm STATES PATENT xorries Original application April 2,1929, Serial No. 351,883. Divided and tliis application June '22, 1932,Serial No. 618,650 I i '1 Claims. (c1. 113-99-) My invention relates tomeans for bonding rails, that is, efficiently connecting two or morerails which are required to carry current.

()ne of the objects of my invention is to provide a tool for maintainingthe bond in a formed condition while applying the bond to the rail.

In the drawing accompanying this specification:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a rail bond prior to its application tothe rail.

Fig. 2 isan end view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of the bond shown in Fig. 1 secured to a forming andholding tool or device prior to its application to the rail.

Fig. 4 is a side view of Fig. 3 with the bond and holding device inposition upon the side surface of the rail prior to the weldingoperation securing the bond to the rail.

It is found that bonds having the flexible portion of copper haverelatively short life under steam road service due apparently to thesevere conditions at the joints as trains of many cars pass over suchjoints. Bonds, however, formed of a body composed of a plurality ofwires of high tensile strength such as those of iron, carbon-steel oralloyed-steel will have a far greater life than a bond having a copperbody and apparently the higher the tensile strength the greater thelife, but as the tensile strength increases or the carbon content of thesteel increases the body will yieldably resist formation to a greaterdegree and the body may possess such a higher resistance to forming thatit is quite diilicult to form the body and maintain such form prior toits attachment to the rail.

I have, therefore, devised a tool by means of which the flexible portionof the bond may be given the proper formation before the bond is appliedto the rail and to maintain such formation while the bond is beingapplied, After such a bond has been welded to the rail or otherwisesecured thereto the formation will be main 4 tained without theassistance of the tool.

45 It might be said in explanation that the heat treatment to which thebody wires are subjected will affect materially the life and resilientor spring properties of the bond body.

In making up a bond of my improved construction I prefer a body 1 with aferrous or non-ferrous terminal 2 on one or both ends and fixedlysecured thereto with or without an interposed sleeve 3. I prefer theterminal of 55' ferrous metal and the sleeve may be of ferand thenformed to fit the body,

rous or non-ferrous metal. The terminal 2 may be stamped from a sheet tothe desired shape after which it is securedtothe body with a greater orless degree of pressure and with or without the sleeve 3. If 'sumcientcompression is used the wires of the body will be found to makeimpressions in the sleeve or surface of the terminal providing the stockof which the terminal is-made is softer than the body 1 and when thesleeve 3 is of copper or other non-ferrous materials the copper tends toflow into .the voids between the outer wires of the body.

The terminal is composed of the tubular portion 4 and the projectingportion 5 which sup- .ports the fused attaching metal for uniting theterminal and end face of the body each to the rail.

The forming and holding tool comprises a body member 9 which overhangsthe rail on each side and has a portion 10 provided with projections 11spaced apart and'so aligned with respect to a median line correspondingto the longitudinal axis of the bond body that the body 1 of the bondcan be positioned between the projections 11 and thereby held in aformed shape until the terminals are finally welded to the rail. Thebody will thereafter be maintained in its formed position having aloop-shaped portion at the center. This loop portion is essential inthat it adds to the flexibility of the bond body and permits relativelongitudinal movement of the adjacent rails.

It should be noted that the bond body tends to maintain or assume astraight line position as shown in Fig. 1 due to its resiliency and thatthe members 11 will resist a return movement of the cable to a straightform and hold the body in the formed condition during the weldingoperation. l he forming tool has a portion 12 which projects from themember 9 and rests upon the upper surface of the rail 13 and is alsoprovided with a weighted portion 14 which to a considerable extentbalances the tool against the combined weight of the portion 10 and thebond, therefore, it is merely necessary after positioning the bondbetween the lugs 11 to place the tool upon the rail with the terminals 2against the side surface of the rail and the over-balanced weight of thebond and portion 10 will cause the terminals to maintain their contactwith the rail until welded into position.

If it is not desired to support the bond in position by means of theforming tool during the welding operation then the portions 10 and 11only will be required and the portion 10 will protect the body 1 of thebond from the heating flame due to welding.

This application is a division of my case ,5erial No. 351,883 filedApril 2, 1929.

There are modifications which will suggest themselves to those skilledin the art and, therefore, I wish to be limited only by my claims.

I claim:-

1. A bonding tool comprising a body member, three spaced and projectingmembers from the body to receive a bond body therebetween and form thebody with a predetermined curvature and two other spaced and projectingmembers from the body to bring the terminals into axial alignment andmaintain such alignment While the bond terminals are being secured torails.

2. A bonding tool arranged to be applied to a pond before installationand removable after installation comprising a body member, a plu ralityof spaced members projecting in substantially the same direction fromthe body member and arranged to receive therebetween and grip the bodyonly of the bond and give it a predetermined formation and to retain thesaid formation while the bond is being secured in position on the rail,the terminals of the bond projecting away from each other and free ofthe body member and in axial alignment.

3. A bonding tool comprising a body member having fine projecting meansthereon to receive and hold the flexible body of the bond in apredetermined formation while attaching the bond to the rail surface andthree of said means located on one side of a median line correspondingto the longitudinal axis of the formed bond body and the other two lugslocated on the opposite side of the median line and all lugs arranged toengage the body of the bond and means overhanging the rail on theopposite side from that to which the bond is attached to counter-balancethe weight of the bond and tool.

4. A bonding tool comprising a body member of plate-like formation,three spaced and projecting lugs from one face of the body to receivethe body of a bond in contact with the said lugs and a pair of spacedlugs projecting from the body of the tool in the same direction as theaforesaid lugs and to press against the bond body to hold it in contactwith the aforesaid three lugs.

5. A bonding tool arranged to be applied to a bond body beforeinstallation of the bond and removable after installation comprising abody member, a plurality of members spaced and projecting insubstantially the same direction from the bond body, the lugs staggeredfrom a median line corresponding to the curved axis of the .bond bodyand forming the equivalent of a groove to receive the bond body andmaintain the predetermined shape of the body while installing the bond.

6. A bonding tool arranged to be applied to a bond body beforeinstallation of the bond and removable after installation comprising abody member, spaced means projecting from the body and in the samedirection and positioned on opposite sides of a median linecorresponding to the curved longitudinal axis of the bond afterinstallation to receive the bond body and maintain the predeterminedshape of the bond body while installing.

'7. A bonding tool comprising a body member having five projecting meansthereon to receive and hold the flexible body of the bond in apredetermined formation while attaching the bond to the rail surface andthree of said means located on one side of a median line correspondingto the longitudinal axis of the formed bond body and the other two lugslocated on the op posite side of the median line and all lugs arrangedto engage the body of the bond.

PLINY P. PIPES.

